Apples, Bananas: The Writer’s Need for Experience
avatar

Posted on by
x
Bookmark

Also, salmon steaks.

No kidding.

Holly’s point is that much of modern life is furnished with imitation experiences.  Supermarket produce, for instance.  Television instead of life.

We can become  emotional and experiential Bubble Boys.

Except that . . . if we examine our real lives, we can find experiences that are solid, real, un-pasteurized.

The stories in this topic are absorbing.  Read the chapter “Apples, Bananas: The Writer’s Need for Experience” in Mugging the Muse, do the exercise, then log in, and go here to join the opera.  Yes, you get to sing whatever role you want.

Professional Plot Outline Course Getting Underway
avatar

Posted on by
x
Bookmark

Are you working through Holly’s Professional Plot Outline course?  It’s a quick, clean process for pulling a plot out of almost thin air.  Lesson 1 requires the writer to analyze his main character in a specific way.  From this, everything flows.

It’s not too late to join the group.  Honestly, wouldn’t you like to have a story plotted and ready to write by the first of June?  Even if your life is crazy busy?

Log in and go here to join the party.  Yeah, it kind of feels like a party.

Publishing Contract–After a Run through HTRYN
avatar

Posted on by
x
Bookmark

This HTRYN member took her novel to the RWA conference where an agent suggested a major tweak to the genre.  In the writer’s words:

I needed some serious revision. I felt overwhelmed until I turned to HTRYN. A little under a year, I had a completely revised book I’m thrilled with.

This writer knew she had a winner, so she didn’t take the first publishing contract she was offered.  How cool (really, cool-headed) is that?

Drop by here to read all about it and add your congrats and questions.

Bad News May Not Be So Bad
avatar

Posted on by
x
Bookmark

What happens when you discover that you have a devastating flaw in your novel? Do you feel sick to you stomach? Want to chuck the whole thing and start over? Organize a pity party?

Whether it’s a weakling protagonist,  a particularly hurtful critique, or a plotline that doesn’t make sense, all writers encounter something like this from time to time. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with it and things to be grateful for, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the moment.

Take a look at the discussion here.

What scares you?
avatar

Posted on by
x
Bookmark

The idea of becoming a writer … really committing to it wholeheartedly … is daunting for many prospective authors. Whether it’s the time involved, the fear of failure, the fear of success, or just being wary of baring their souls for the world to read, most writers have had second thoughts at some point.

So what is it that scares you about writing for a living? All members are welcome to log in and join the discussion on the new Mugging the Muse board. No need to fear – you’ll be among the safety of friends!

Can’t I just kill them all? Tirepatches, etc.
avatar

Posted on by
x
Bookmark

So, somewhere in the middle of the novel, the writer gets tired of carrying a non-producing character.  It’s perfectly permissible to trim this deadwood–but is it the right thing to do in this case?

And if the writer kills off the character, should she do it onstage, or as part of the backstory?

There’s a good reason that many novels are abandoned at this point, but that is not the How to Think Sideways way.

HTTS students, log in and go here to help a friend think through this conundrum.

Dot marks the spot…
avatar

x
Bookmark

Sometimes figuring out what is important is the hardest part of planning our writing. Holly’s technique featuring The Dot and The Line can help determine what is critical – but some students have trouble getting a handle on it.

In this thread, Think Sideways students discuss various uses for these tools, and even reveal new applications for the technique. HTTS students can log in and share their own experiences – both frustrations and breakthroughs – with The Dot and The Line.